Watch Somerset Patriots catcher Yovan Gonzalez deliver his fourth walk-off hit of the season, this one in particularly incredible fashion, in the middle game of the series against the Long Island Ducks…

(PR) Bridgewater, NJ- The Somerset Patriots and the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball have announced that Brett Jodie (Somerset Patriots) and Gary Gaetti (Sugar Land Skeeters) have been named managers of the 2017 Atlantic League All-Star Game.

Jodie, who will lead the Liberty Division squad, became the manager of the Somerset Patriots in 2013 and has since led the team to the playoffs each of his years at the helm. His team had the best record in 2016 at 77-63 and won the Liberty Division Second Half Championship.

This is Jodie’s second straight season as the manager of the Liberty Division All-Star team.

“Being an All-Star is always an honor and something everybody strives to be in this game,” said Jodie. “It’s no different as a manager, especially when the game is at your home ballpark. It’s a different type of energy and excitement for the event. I know firsthand how much work has been going into the planning of this event to make sure the fans, players, coaches, and special guests have a first-class experience they’ll remember forever. I’m really excited to be a part of a night that’s meant to celebrate everything that’s great about our league and our home in Somerset.”

Jodie was named the Atlantic League Manager of the Year after leading the Somerset Patriots to the Atlantic League Championship in 2015. The team finished with a league best 89-50 regular season that was one win shy of tying a franchise record.

The 2015 championship was Jodie’s first at the helm of the Somerset Patriots, having already won once as a player (2003) and twice as a coach (2008, 2009) with the team.

In addition, Jodie became the fastest manager in league history to win his 250th career game when the team defeated the Sugar Land Skeeters 4-2 on August 26, 2015. He is closing in on his 400th career win this season.

Jodie has Major League experience with the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres. He also had three seasons of Triple-A experience with the two organizations.

Jodie had a minor league career 59-33 record with a 3.43 ERA and 532 strikeouts in 748 innings pitched in 136 games.

Jodie joined the Somerset Patriots in 2003 and helped lead the team to its second championship in three years. He finished the 2003 season with a 12-5 record, a 3.78 ERA, and 88 strikeouts in 135 innings pitched in 24 games started.

This is Jodie’s fifth season as the Manager of the Somerset Patriots, following seven seasons as the team’s pitching coach. He led the team to a season record 90 wins in 2013, his rookie season in the position.

Gaetti, who will lead the Freedom Division team, is the only manager in Sugar Land Skeeters history (2011-Present). This is the second time Gaetti will manage an Atlantic League All-Star team.

“I am honored by the selection and it’s always special to be a part of an All-Star game,” Gaetti said. “Whether you are a player or a manager, it’s always exciting to play alongside some of the best players in our league. The last time I managed the All-Star Game was in 2014, the year the game was here in Sugar Land and that experience was a little different because I managed my own team. This time around, I get the opportunity to manage the best players this league has to offer, something I’m really looking forward to.”

Gaetti and the Skeeters recently captured their first Atlantic League Championship title in 2016, sweeping the York Revolution in the Freedom Division Series and then taking three straight over the Long Island Ducks in the Atlantic League Championship Series. The Skeeters became the first team to go 6-0 in the playoffs and ended the 2016 campaign with 10 straight wins. Under his leadership the team has reached the league playoffs in three of five seasons, including two Championship Series appearances (2014, 2016).

Gaetti in his five years as manager has compiled a 381-318 (.545) regular season record. The 2013 campaign was a record-breaking year compiling a 95-45 overall record and he was named the Atlantic League Manager of the Year in just his second season as manager.

A veteran of 20 major league seasons as a player with the Minnesota Twins, California Angels, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox, the Illinois native was a two-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove Award Winner, 1995 Silver Slugger Award winner and the 1987 ALCS MVP with the Twins and would go on to help them win the 1987 World Series. Gaetti posted a .255 career batting average in 2,507 games with 2,280 hits, 360 HR and 1,341 RBI in 20 major league seasons.

After his playing career, Gaetti began coaching in 2002 as a member of the minor league New Orleans Zephyrs’ Triple-A staff. In 2004 he was appointed hitting coach for the Houston Astros where he helped the club to an NLCS championship in 2005 and their first ever World Series appearance. Gaetti held the same position with Tampa Bay’s AAA affiliate, the Durham Bulls, during the 2007-2008 (managed the last few weeks) seasons before being named the first manager of the Sugar Land Skeeters in 2011. Gary was recently inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame on February 2, 2017 and in 2007 was named to the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame.

The 2017 Atlantic League All-Star Game is the premiere event of the summer, hosted by the Somerset Patriots at TD Bank Ballpark on Wednesday, July 12th. The event is presented by RWJBarnabas Health and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and will feature the biggest Fireworks Show in ballpark history, commemorative giveaways for all ages, entertainment, and a Home Run Derby. For tickets, stop by the ballpark, call (908) 252-0700 or visit www.somersetpatriots.com.

Tyler Bortnick was the star on Tuesday, as Somerset’s second baseman went 2-for-4 with three RBI in the Patriots 7-2, series-opening win over the Long Island Ducks. The veteran infielder has been the model of consistency over the last six weeks of the season, keeping his batting average between a range of .254 and its current .302 in that timespan.

“I think he was upset with himself early (in the season), and as upset as he was with himself, he was hitting .270, .280 or something like that and you’re like, ‘You’re still doing all right,'” said Patriots manager Brett Jodie.

“I can tell he wasn’t having the AB’s, and he was giving away some…not trying to, but just swinging at some wild pitches and stuff like that. He’s honed that in, and you can see him working hard and really being that total player right now. It’s really coming back to him. He’s a guy that’s tough on himself, and he’s got to take it a little lighter and let it come to him. But he’s really helping us.”

“Bort,” who has been doing the “dab” in his various appearances on Patriots social media, has taken pride in his ability to be a consistent presence in the field and the lineup.

“I just try to do my job,” Bortnick said. “It’s just like anybody else on this team. We all work hard and it shows in this game. This game can beat you up a lot, but I tell myself all the time to just stick to the routine, keep putting in your work and good things will eventually happen. It’s been coming around, and hopefully I can keep riding the hot wave and our team can still win.”

And with that “hot wave,” some of the self-inflicted pressure has come off of Bortnick’s shoulders. Some of it…

“I’ve always been a guy that puts pressure on myself,” he said. “I care about how I perform, and I’ve always been a good competitor. I want to be the best at whatever I do, no matter what it is. Baseball happens to be my passion, and I really care about it a lot. The hits, the RBI’s, all that stuff, it helps you relax in the box for sure.”

Bortnick was joined by Carlos Guzman (2) and Adam Donachie (1) in the RBI column on Tuesday, with Somerset scoring all seven of their runs in the first four innings. This was not the typical lengthy, snug Patriots-Ducks game.

“That was huge,” said Bortnick of the early runs. “That was the game, we hopped on them early and we didn’t take our foot off the pedal. If we don’t get those runs early, he’s probably pitching into the fifth or the sixth.”

Somewhat overlooked thanks to the uncharacteristic game between the two rivals was Rick Teasley’s outing, which was, once again, very good. The southpaw continues to show that his inexperience compared to others on the staff doesn’t matter; he spun seven innings of two-run ball with no walks, two strikeouts and just two runs allowed, both coming on balls he left up to Ducks slugger Angelo Songco that were taken deep with nobody on base.

“He’s ‘go get em’,’ and he doesn’t think anybody’s going to beat him, and that’s what he’s got to stick with with his mentality,” said Donachie. “He’s going in there and challenging guys, and he’s coming out with wins. It’s very rare to find (someone inexperienced with that confidence level), and hopefully he sticks with it and he can keep rattling off the W’s.”